Stack type tobacco curers



Nov. 7, 1961 R. E. MAYO 3,007,466

STACK TYPE TOBACCO CURERS Filed June 20, 1957 2 Sheaets--SheerI l if /v anooooonooo 000Go ooooa I NVEN TOR f wfylM-szyo ATTORNEY Nov. 7, 196 R. E. MAYO STACK TYPE TOBACCO CURERS Filed June 20, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JHIKEMZF@ ATTORNEY 3,007,466 O STACK TYPE TOBACCO CURERS Reubm E. Mayo, Florence-Mayo Nuway Company, Farmville, N.C. Filed June 20, 1957, Ser. No. 666,854 5 Claims. (Cl. 126-93) This invention relates to fuel-burning air heaters, and more particularly to heaters designed for use in barns for curing tobacco.

Tobacco curing heaters or curers are of two wellknown types, namely, the open llame curers, in which the products of combustion escape freely into the barn, and closed or stack type curers in which the products of combustion are discharged through a smoke stack to a point outside of the barn. The present invention is directed to curers of the stack type.

An object of the invention is to provide a curer of the last-mentioned type having improved and very eilicient means for heating air and distributing the heated air to the tobacco in the barn. Another object is to provide improved means whereby both the air for supporting combustion and for curing the tobacco is brought in from outside of the barn.

In my prior Patent No. 2,090,633 (reissued as No. 22,221) I disclosed an air inlet pipe extending from outside the barn, but in that patent all of the air brought in by that pipe was commingled with the products of combustion from the open ame burner.

In the present case, the air thus brought in from outside is heated and distributed through the tobacco in its pure state, unmixed with any products of combustion.

In order that the invention may be readily understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this speciilcation, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan View of my improved curer;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section through the same substantially on the line 2 2 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section substantially on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a horizontal section substantially on the line 4 4 of FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, my improved heater or curer comprises an upright casing 1 which may be cylindrical in shape and which may be constructed of sheet metal. The casing has a closed top 2 and an inspection door 3 in one side thereof. The bottom is open and the lower edge 1a is constructed to rest upon the lloor F of the barn.

A generally horizontal partition 4 divides the casingY into upper and lower compartments.

This partition 4 has a pocket or depression 4a in the same and the bottom of this pocket is formed with an opening in which ts the upper end of a fuel burner 5. This may be of either the gas or oil type but is shown as a well-known model of oil burner known as the Breese It consists of a cylindrical drum provided with series of perforations as shown, and having intermediate its height an inverted funnel-shaped baille ring 6 and at its upper end a heavy cast iron lire ring or baffle 7. The internal diameter of this ring is smaller than that of the burner drum 5. Oil enters the burner drum through a supply pipe 8 and after being ignited is vaporized, and the vapor, mixed with air coming in through the perforations, burns with a hot llame which issues from the ring 7. The products of combustion from this flame are discharged into the upper compartment above the partition 4, which may be called a combustion chamber. An overllow pipe 9 is also provided and extends out through the barn wall B.

if: i 3 007 Patented Nov. 7, 1961 Extending from the upper compartment or combustion chamber is a stack extending upwardly through the roof of the barn and, as shown, comprises sections 10, 11, 12 and 13. The products of combustion from the burner, lafter passing through the upper compartment, escape through this stack.

An air inlet pipe 14 is provided and extends through the barn wall B and also through the side of the casing 1 into the lower compartment below the partition 4. Air coming in through this pipe serves to support the combustion of the fuel in the burner 5, and a baille 15 extends transversely across the lower compartment at a point between the inlet pipe 14 and the burner so as to protect the burner from excessive draft.

A vertically disposed air heating pipe 16 has its lower end opening through the partition 4 into the lower chamber, at a point about the burner and advantageously between the end of the air inlet pipe 14 and the baille 15, and has its upper end opening up through the top wall 2 of the casing. Thus this air heating pipe is in free and direct communication with the inlet pipe. The air coming in through the inlet pipe 14 divides, part of it going to and through the burner and thence into and through the combustion chamber and stack 10, while another part passes directly from the inlet pipe into and through the air heating pipe 16.

Supported by brackets 17 on the heater casing, and in spaced parallel relation with the ilat top thereof is a large horizontal baille plate 1S which preferably extends well out beyond the sides of the casing, as best shown in FIG. 2.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the hot products of combustion from the burner envelop and flow around the outside of the pipe 16 on their way to the stack, and thus strongly heat this pipe, thus inducing air to ilow upwardly therethrough. This air, of course, is supplied through the air inlet pipe 14 and, after passing upwardly through the pipe 16, flows out laterally in all directions through the space between the top 2 of the casing and the baille 18 where it is further heated. It

finally escapes around the outer edge of this baille andV thence passes upwardly into and through the tobacco hanging in the barn. The 4baille 18 results in spreading and distributing the heated air over a large area.

The baille 18, with its edges projecting beyond the casing, also has another function. The side walls of the combustion chamber, as well as its top wall, are, of course, rhighly heated, and may at times even become red hot. The air in Contact with these side walls is strongly heated and ilows upwardly along the same. The projecting edges of the baille 18 serve to deflect and spread out these currents of hot air rising along the sides of the combusstion chamber, and operate to diffuse the heat and render it more uniform over a large area. Furthermore, the air entering through pipes 14 and 16 into the space between the top of the casing and baille 18, although substantially heated, is at a much lower temperature than the air rising upward along the sides of the combustion chamber and heated b-y contact therewith and by radiation. Consequently, the air ilowing out from under the batlle, comingling with the hot air rising upward along the sides of the combustion chamber serves to reduce the temperature of the latter considerably before it reaches the tobacco. This is important, particularly during the yellowing stage, and the barn lire loss, which usually occurs during the final stage, is substantially reduced.

What I claim is:

1. A tobacco curer comprising a casing having a top wall, a partition in said casing dividing the same into upper 'and lower compartments, a fuel burner in said lower compartment and arranged to deliver its products of combustion up through said partition into said upper compartment, a stack communicating with said upper compartment for carrying oi the products of combustion from said burner, an air inlet pipe extending through a said wall of said casing into said lower compartment to supply air thereto in a substantially horizontal direction and toward said burner, a baille positioned Ibetween Said air inlet pipe and said burner and spaced horizont-ally from said air inlet pipe and said burner to partially deilect the ilow of air from said air inlet pipe to said burner, and an open-ended air-heating pipe communicating at one end with said lower compartment at a point between said air `inlet pipe and said baille, said air-heating pipe extending upwardly through said upper compartment and having its open upper end extending through the top wall of said casing, whereby air entering said lower compartment through said air inlet strikes said baille and is divided, part of said air ilowing past said baille to said burner while another part is deilected from said air inlet pipe into and through said air-heating pipe.

2. A tobacco eurer as dened in claim 1 wherein said baille comprises a substantially vertical plate having at least one edge thereof spaced from a wall deiining said lower compartment.

3. A tobacco curer as defined in claim 1 wherein said baille comprises a xed, substantially vertical plate eX- tending across said lower compartment with its ends secured to said casing and having its upper edge spaced below said partition.

4. A tobacco eurer as deilned in claim 1 wherein said baille comprises a fixed, substantially vertical plate extending across said lower compartment with its ends secured to said casing and having its lower edge spaced above the bottom of said lower compartment.

5. A tobacco curer -as defined in claim 1 wherein said baille comprises a fixed, substantially vertical plate extending horizontally `across said -loWer compartment with its upper and lower edges spaced from said partition and from the bottom of said lower compartment, respectively.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

